Only In Death
by Y2Jen
Summary: Miroku becomes incapacitated due to a terrible fever. Will he leave this world without he and Sango revealing and knowing their true feelings for each other? Or can they save him in time... MirokuSango, R&R please! TY
1. Part 1 of 2

**A/N:** _This is my first InuYasha fic, well technically second, the first-first was a parody, but this isn't a spoof fic, it's an actual one, so my first actual Inu fic... anyways, enough talk, enjoy!_

Miroku was very sick with a bad cold, all the others could do was watch him lay in bed. Kagome was too far from the well to go back home and get any medicine, so they resorted to the herbs that Kaede had told them about. Sango sat down next to the sleeping monk, Kirara sitting in her lap. She sighed sadly, it pained her to see him like that. I mean sure he was a lecher and did plenty of bad things, but nobody likes to see others get sick.

"Hey, Sango?" Kagome opened the door flap, Shippo on her shoulder. "Is it alright if we come in?"

"Oh, Kagome." Sango turned from in her thoughts. "Yeah, sure, that's fine." Kirara cooed and jumped off her lap and jumped up into Kagome's arms as she sat down next to the demon slayer. "So how's he doing?"

"Well his fever is maintaining, so that's a good sign." Sango sighed.

Shippo jumped down off Kagome's back, "When do you think he'll be able to get up again?"

"Who knows?" They all looked up to see InuYasha standing with his arms folded in the doorway. "I mean really that's all up to Miroku, you know?"

"But InuYasha." Shippo spoke up. "He's been sick for days and he's not getting any better. How can you possibly expect…"

"Sh, Shippo!" Kagome shushed quietly and covered his mouth, motioning to Sango.

"Oh." Shippo gasped and became quiet as Sango's eyes began to quiver with fear.

"Please, get well soon." She closed her eyes, her worried face deepened with sorrow. All he did was sleep and have bad dreams, this may have been the only time she ever wanted Miroku go become feisty and make a move on her, just to know that he was well enough to have it in him to be himself.

"Maybe we should try to go back to Kaede's village." Kagome sighed up at InuYasha.

"It's risky." InuYasha sat down, eyes shut in thought. "It's pretty far, and we could be attacked along the way."

"I know, but…" Kagome stopped herself and sighed. Later, Sango went to go change the water in the bowl for Miroku's forehead cloth. Kagome took out the thermometer and shook it. "It's still pretty high."

"What's that Kagome?" Shippo asked.

"It's something from back home called a thermometer, when you get sick it tells you what kind of fever you have."

"Oh! What did it say about Miroku, anything good?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Kagome frowned. "I don't want to tell Sango, but there might not be anything we can do for him…"

Sango was listening from outside, she sighed and closed her eyes, then turned and looked up at the night sky full of stars and her eyes shook with tears, "Please Miroku, you can't die…. I never told you that… I just want you to know what, I….." She began to cry. Kirara meowed sweetly up at her, but she continued to weep and Kirara sat down sadly.

Kagome sighed as she watched the fire, she turned to see InuYasha and Shippo and Kirara sleeping, she looked over and saw that Sango had passed out too in the corner and she sighed, "Poor Sango…"

"Sango…"

"Huh?" Kagome turned to the faint whisper and looked down to see Miroku talking in his sleep, his voice was raspy and sounded terrible, not his usual tone. "Is he dreaming?"

"Sango…" He muttered again.

Kagome's eyes went wide, "Is he dreaming about Sango?"

The next morning…

"Kagome, did you stay up all night?" InuYasha asked.

Kagome yawned, "It's no big deal."

"Yeah it is, you look terrible."

"Hey."

"Oh come off it, you know what I mean." InuYasha scoffed. "Get some rest. Shippo and I are going to look for something to eat for lunch."

"Alright." Kagome sighed and went to lay back against the wall.

"We'll be back later." Shippo waved and the boys left.

"If Miroku wakes up, he needs to take two aspirin." Kagome dug into her backpack. "It could bring his fever down." She set them down, and then she turned to Sango, "Hey."

"Yeah?" Sango glanced back.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Sango forced a convincing smile, but Kagome saw through it.

"Okay." Kagome gave into the lie and closed her eyes. She sighed to herself, how could she tell Sango that Miroku was dreaming about her? She knew Sango had feelings for Miroku, and Miroku did for Sango, but neither could be convinced. Could Miroku die and never tell Sango that he loved her and know that Sango loved him?

An hour later…

Sango looked down at the bottle and picked it up, "So if he takes two, it might help his fever…"

"Is that some of Kagome's future medicine?"

"Huh?" Sango gasped, she whirled around to see Miroku smiling weakly up at her. Her eyes shook with tears, "Miroku?" He was actually awake!

"Will that help me?"

"She said two might help your fever." Sango opened it and poured two pills out.

"They're small." Miroku coughed as Sango placed them in his hand. "Maybe I should take more."

"I'm glad, Miroku…"

"Huh?" He looked meekly back up at her, his eyes heavy again.

Sango smiled behind the pain, "I'm glad, that you're going to be okay."

Miroku smiled back, "I'm glad too." He went back to sleep.

Sango smiled to herself, her eyes shaking with tears, "Miroku…" He looked to be sleeping a little more peacefully now. She looked up happily, "Maybe, maybe he will get better after all."

Later…

"We're back." InuYasha opened the door.

"Hey, finally." Kagome looked up from teaching Sango how to play solitaire with her pack of cards.

"How's Miroku?"

"He woke up!" Sango beamed.

"Oh, that's good." InuYasha blinked, frankly he was surprised, he was just asking to be nice.

"See he is going to get better!" Shippo cheered.

"That's right." Sango smiled, and Kirara let out another small meow.

"I feel a little better after taking those two small capsules."

"Miroku?" Sango turned around quickly to see him awake and smiling again.

"Hey."

"Miroku!" Kagome wore a big grin.

"Hey there guys." He began to cough.

"How are you?"

"I'm feeling a bit better…"

"Hey Miroku if you're feeling better, do you want to come outside and play?" Shippo asked.

"No, heh. I'm still feeling really tired, I don't think I can move." Miroku blinked slowly, still hurting from the fever.

"Take it easy Shippo, he's not out of the Tiger Woods yet."

"The what woods? Is that by the forest of InuYasha?"

"Oh." Kagome caught herself and laughed. "Never mind…"

"Aw…" Shippo sighed.

"Maybe tomorrow." Miroku smiled.

"That's alright, but you should take it easy so you don't get any worse or catch a relapse." Kagome told him.

"Do you want to eat?"

"I don't think I could stomach it." Miroku laughed slightly but coughed.

"I'm glad to see you awake, but you should go back to sleep." Sango smiled.

"I agree." Miroku closed his eyes and fell back to sleep. Sango smiled down at him.

Kagome nudged InuYasha as he ate, "Ow, hey what gives!"

"See that?" She motioned at them. "I told you so."

That night….

Everyone slept by the fire in the small hut along the path, the river moved quietly not too far from them. Miroku opened his eyes and looked around, he saw everyone asleep, he looked over at Sango. He smiled to himself, even in her worried sleep she was beautiful. He groaned, he still felt terrible. He noticed the bottle still near him.

"If two helped me to wake up from the fever…" He reached over to grab it, then opened it and poured out about eight more. "Maybe some more will help me get better period." He opened his mouth and ate them all. He tapped on his chest as they went down. "Wow, that's rough on the throat." He yawned and went back down, looking at Sango. "Tomorrow, Sango, I'll be better, and then I can tell you…" His eyes became heavy. "How I feel…" Little did he know of the huge mistake he had just made.

That morning…

"Fish for breakfast!" Shippo cheered.

"Again?" Kagome sighed. "We had fish for dinner."

"Choosers can't be picky." InuYasha wolfed them down. "What about you Sango?" No reply. "Sango?" InuYasha stopped and opened his eyes at her direction.

Kagome turned around to face Sango, "What is it?"

"It's Miroku, he seems to be breathing funny." Sango was watching him closely.

"Huh?" Kagome crawled over to see him sweating and breathing very tense and shallow. "Uh oh." Kagome began to think, she gasped and looked around, finding the bottle and opening it. "Oh no!" She cried and turned it upside down, and nothing fell out. "It's empty!"

"What is it?" InuYasha asked.

"Miroku just did something very bad, and very stupid!"

"Did he knock Sango up?"

"What, no!"

"Did he eat your bottle?"

"Yes!"

"But Sango is okay."

"…I guess…" Kagome was baffled.

"Alright then." InuYasha went back to eating.

"Aren't you worried about Miroku?" Kagome yelled. "The bottle is empty!"

"Wait, so there's no more to help him?" Sango frowned worriedly.

"No, that's not what I mean!" Kagome whirled around. "He must've taken them all last night!"

"So?"

"So that's very bad!"

"But, they were helping him." Sango grew fearful in her confusion.

"Yes, two at a time can be good, but a handful can kill a person!"

"What!" Sango yelled.

"Oh this is all my fault!" Kagome's eyes began to tear up.

"What do we do?" Shippo cried.

"What can we do?" InuYasha asked, a little angry.

"Miroku, please no, you can't die!" Sango turned around quickly, tears coming from her eyes. "You can't leave us, what about Naraku, what about Master Mushin and Hachi, what about the ladies, what about your friends." She chocked, "What about me?" Miroku began to sputter in his sleep and he keeled at the waist. "Huh? Miroku?"

"Sango?" Miroku opened his eyes.

"What is it?"

"What's going on, with my body?"

"Miroku, you did a bad thing by eating all of those pills." Kagome went over.

"But, those were medicine to help me, I thought…"

"Yes, but only two at a time."

"That's weird…" Miroku clenched the sheet tightly.

"Miroku are you alright?" Shippo asked.

"No." Miroku whined painfully, usually he would roll everything off his back, but for him to cry out and admit he was hurt, this was serious. He grabbed onto Sango's leg, who was the closets, "Sango…!" He looked up at her with weak pleading eyes. "You have to help me."

Sango stared back down at him in shock, her eyes welling up, "Miroku…"

"Please." He passed out before he could say, "And I promise, I will only go after only you from this day on after, forever and ever more…"

"What am I going to do?" Sango asked herself as her eyes shook.

"We have to hurry." Shippo became serious. "But how do we help him?"

"I don't know… but taking all those pills made it worse." Kagome began to think. "It's too late to get them out of his system, if there was only a way to counteract them…."

"But it's not his fault, only you really know about this medicine." InuYasha stated.

"InuYasha, did Kikyo ever teach you of any herbs that might be able to help us here?"

"Hm?" He blinked and began to think. "Hm, I dunno…." He folded his arms.

"Hurry InuYasha." Kagome clenched a fist in haste and looked at Miroku. "I don't know how much time we might have left…"


	2. Part 2 of 2

**A/N**: _Wow, sorry it took over a year to finish this… I guess I forgot about it. oops_

"I didn't mean to play God…."

"Kagome…"

"I didn't think bringing things to the past from the future could change things…" Kagome was pacing around, biting her nails with angst and fret.

"Kagome…!" InuYasha sighed again.

Finally Kagome stopped in her tracks and shouted out to the heavens, "I didn't mean any harm, really! I just wanted to help!"

"Will you stop blaming yourself!?" InuYasha reached out and clenched her wrist, she gasped, his touch snapping her back to reality. "Now if you heard me the first time, I told you there may be an herb that can help."

"Oh…!" Kagome's eyes went wide.

"Come on." InuYasha ran off, still hanging onto Kagome's arm, dragging her off with him.

"Eh…!!"

Shippo was bouncing around, "Sango, Sango, what are we going to do!?" He jumped and accidentally landed on Kirara's tail, causing her to growl and fluff up. "Oh, sorry… Sangoooo!"

"Shippo, please…" Sango clenched a fist, trying not to get angry at the annoyance, he was still only a child. Miroku had passed out again, but his words still echoed in her mind… 'and I promise it will be only you that I go after, forever and ever after' Sango sighed, "I'm sure he won't mean that, but he was pleading to me for his life." She shut her watery eyes, "Oh Miroku, I would help you in a heartbeat, if only I could…." She thought to herself sadly, 'I know you may never love me the way I do you, but I love you enough to ensure your well being and happiness, even if you choose to end up with someone else.'

"So this is it then?" Kagome bent down to pluck the herbs from between the weeds.

"Yes, I overheard Kikyo talking to Kaede about it before, she told them it was only to be used in dire situations since it was very hard to find and didn't grow very well in the nearby lands."

"We're very lucky to have found it, and nearby too."

"She told her that it would clear out a persons system and worked especially well with deadly poisons. That medicine you said was like a poison, so maybe this should work."

Kagome stood up, an armful of herb at her side, "This has to work, otherwise Miroku will die, and, I think Sango might too."

"Huh…?" InuYasha turned to her with a confused expression. "Is she sick now too…?"

About a half hour later, Kagome and InuYasha returned to camp…

"We should let this boil first, that way the herbs will dissolve and he can drink it." Kagome put the water over the fire.

"Are you sure that's the right herb, are you sure this will work, it might make him worse just like those pills." Sango was more worried than relieved.

"Still Sango, we have to try." Kagome gave her a reassuring glance.

"Is it ready is it ready yet?" Shippo grew restless as the minutes ticked by.

"Yes, yes." Kagome was pouring the greenish liquid into a cup for Miroku to drink. "This is all of it, it should be enough right?"

"I'm sure, I mean, I never saw Kikyo use it…"

"Sango, get him to sit up, I don't want him to choke or get it into his lungs." Kagome knelt back down.

"Thank you Kagome."

"Huh?"

"I know, it must've been hard for you."

Kagome knew what Sango meant, "Oh no, not at all, really…" InuYasha had chosen Kikyo, and to resolve to using her help, though not tangible in person, it wasn't something that Kagome liked to be reminded of doing when she had to. "Come on Miroku, wake up, you have to swallow this."

"Miroku…." Sango shook him gently, holding him up in her arms, his head on top of her shoulder.

He groaned and opened his eyes a bit, "Ugh…" His vision was blurry.

"Miroku, open your mouth, you have to take this medicine."

"I, I don't know if I can… I really don't feel good."

"If you don't, then you'll die." InuYasha stepped up. "So don't you think being a little sick is a lot better than being a little dead?"

Miroku blinked and smirked, "Once again, InuYasha's violent words of wisdom come to the rescue…"

"Damn strait…! Wait, what…?"

Miroku chuckled, "I do look forward to being more lively." He let Kagome pour the medicine down his throat, his eyes winced shut at the pain the warm water caused in his throat as it seeped into his stomach. Once it was gone he began to cough, "Oh, nasty flavor."

"Well it's medicine, it's supposed to be gross." InuYasha stated.

"InuYasha…" Kagome sighed, rolling her eyes. "You should rest, this will take everything out of your system, both the good and the bad. It's a last resort remedy, and, in this dire situation, it's the only chance we had. You have to rest, or else you could get worse again."

"Right, yes… I understand." Miroku nodded. "Thank you."

"Oh Miroku…" Sango sighed and shut her eyes.

Miroku looked up at her, then turned his glance back over to Kagome, who nodded, "Hey InuYasha, come with me, let's go get some fresh water."

"Huh…?"

"And Shippo, you can come with us and we can find some food to eat."

"Alright." Shippo jumped up and ran outside.

"But we have water right, AH….!" InuYasha couldn't finish, Kagome had shoved him outside.

Miroku sighed, "Thank you…"

"Miroku…?" Sango looked down at him, she hadn't heard the words he just spoke.

"Sango, will you let me go for a moment?"

"Huh…?" Sango blushed, finally noticing the close contact between the two.

"No, not that I don't like it, but, I just would like to talk to you for a bit… face to face."

"Oh, sure." Sango looked away, a bit embarrassed. She moved back and let Miroku lay back against the wall of the hut. Sango sat across from him and was a big cautious to make eye contact at first. "Are you, are you feeling anything yet?"

"I am, thank you…" Miroku hadn't meant from the medicine.

"Look, Miroku I…."

"Sango, listen…"

"Huh?" Sango finally looked up after being cut off.

"Life is fleeting, Sango. After all of this battling Naraku and incarnations and any other demon that comes after the jewel, you forget about the small dangers in life, like sickness and war. We're lucky enough to have a half demon bodyguard, and a girl from the future with remedies and priestess power. If our lives didn't involve Naraku at all, we would never be here today, we wouldn't be fighting for our lives, as I am now."

"Miroku…"

He cut her off again, "And yet I wouldn't give it up, not in an instant, to be a normal person, going on living a regular life. If living with a cursed wind tunnel and fighting Naraku day in and day out, and being on my deathbed, if that meant not being who I am today, everything that I've lived in my life up until now, and, never meeting you Sango… I don't know if I'd want any other life."

Sango's eyes shook, "Miroku…!"

He smirked, "I don't know if you understand, or even believe me, but…" He winced and clenched his chest. Sango reached out but Miroku held out a hand and the pain spell passed. He looked back up at her, his eyes shimmering with truth, "That's just the way I feel."

Sango didn't know how to react, "Miroku…" Her heart ached, was this all the medicine talking, or was it truly coming from his heart? She crawled over and put her hand on his forehead, "Well you are feverish…"

Miroku sighed, "I guess you think I'm not serious when I said I would give my life and attention all to you and no other."

"Well, I uh, guess…." Sango blushed and caught herself, leaning back but staying close to him still. "I mean, I've gotten to know you, and I suppose I'd just find it hard to believe you would give up being a lecher just for somebody like me."

"Sango…" Miroku picked up her hand with his own, she gasped, taken by surprise. "You don't know what I'm willing to give up for you."

Sango swallowed hard as her eyes began to water, "Miroku…!" What was he saying…!? He began to cough. "Ah, Miroku…!" He was coughing terribly, the medicine had finally kicked in. "Here, water, drink…!" She reached over and grabbed the water for him, he drank deeply, his breathing slowing down from its original quickening pace. "Miroku…?"

"Wow, I can feel it… my body is being washed out…." He took a deep breath. "I can actually breathe now…."

"Hm?" Sango's eyes went wide and she put her hand back on his face and gasped. "Amazing, it was true…! You're even feeling less feverish."

"We're back!" Kagome called from outside. Miroku looked over as she walked in. "Hey, sorry we weren't gone longer. Feeling better?"

"Huh…?" Sango blinked, gone longer…?

"Yes, very much so." Miroku wore a secret smile at her. "Thank you Kagome, thanks again." She nodded.

InuYasha muttered to Shippo on his shoulder, "He's still speaking gibberish to me…."

"You're just dense…" He rolled his eyes.

Kagome came over, "It looks like you're finally recovering."

"Yes, he is." Sango nodded, smiling as well now. "By tomorrow he should be up again."

"Yay, and then we can play!" Shippo cheered, and that caused Miroku to laugh, but he keeled in pain.

"Take it slow, you still have to rest. You don't want to relapse again do you?"

"No, that would be unpleasant." Miroku smirked at Kagome, then turned back to Sango. "Thanks to you as well Sango, I think it was your presence that was the true healing medicine."

"Uh…!" She blushed again.

Kagome giggled, "I'm glad."

"Huh, glad?" Sango turned to her.

Kagome went over and whispered, "So fess up already, he confessed his feelings to you didn't he?"

"Ah, Kagome…!"

"I always knew you liked him."

"You… you did!?"

"It's pretty obvious that you both liked each other, I'm glad if anything good had to come out of his near death experience, it was love."

"Uh…!" Sango looked away, she couldn't stop blushing.

The next morning….

"Come on, I'm growing tired of this hut and everyone in it!" InuYasha barked, Kagome's backpack over his shoulder.

"InuYasha…!" Shippo jumped up.

Kagome had her first aid kit and was giving Miroku one last check up before they left, she wanted to make sure he was really fully healed before they left. He was awake and his fever was gone, he could sit up and his energy was slowly returning. Kagome made sure he could breathe fine and his heart was working properly, making sure the overdose hadn't harmed it.

"It looks like you're just about all better and ready to travel with us again, and you can put this whole mess behind you." Sango was smiling.

"Yes, well, not all of it…" Miroku winked at her as Kagome took her hand off of his head and went back to her med kit.

"Uh, well um, yes…" Sango giggled a bit, blushing again.

Miroku chuckled to himself, "I'm glad, Sango…"

Kagome sat back up, "Here open your mouth, then we can go." Miroku opened his mouth and Kagome peered inside.

"I'm surprised, I thought I would be the first to confess my feelings for you, but, I'm glad you did first. I was worried it might not have been returned, I didn't want to loose what I had with you already."

"Eh?" Miroku raised his brow, he hadn't been sure if Sango liked him back when he originally told her he loved her, he was shocked to hear her confessing back to him now, but he was glad. "Oh Ango, ah uhg oogh."

"What?" Sango blinked.

Kagome giggled and translated Miroku's gargled words, "I think he said he loves you. Hahah!" Miroku sighed, he would've especially loved to have been able to speak for himself when he'd said that just now.

Sango blushed and smiled warmly back at him, quietly replying, "Oh Miroku, I love you too."

InuYasha was fidgeting outside with great impatience, "I'm dying of old age out here….!"

"InuYasha, SIT boy!"

"AHH!"

Shippo sighed, "Now HE needs medical treatment…"


End file.
